St Mary's Church, Twyford is a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

dedicated to the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

in the village of

Twyford, Hampshire Twyford is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England, approximately south of Winchester and near the M3 motorway and Twyford Down. In 2001, the population of the parish was 1,456. The village and parish are on the left bank of the Itc ...

History

The village's first Saxon church is mentioned in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

in 1086. A Norman church replaced it in the 12th century – this was extensively rebuilt in 1402. In

Thomas Moule Thomas Moule (14 January 1784 – January 1851) was an English antiquarian, writer on heraldry, and one of Victorian England's most influential map-makers. He is best known for his popular and highly decorated county maps of England, steel-engra ...

's ''English Counties'' (1837 edition), the church is referred to as "a vicarage, value £12 12s. 8d., in the patronage of

Emmanuel College, Cambridge Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay, Chancellor of the Exchequer to Elizabeth I. The site on which the college sits was once a priory for Dominican mon ...

. In the chancel is a mural monument, with a bust, by

Joseph Nollekens Joseph Nollekens R.A. (11 August 1737 – 23 April 1823) was a sculptor from London generally considered to be the finest British sculptor of the late 18th century. Life Nollekens was born on 11 August 1737 at 28 Dean Street, Soho, London, ...

, in memory of Dr. Jonathan Shipley,

Bishop of St. Asaph The Bishop of St Asaph heads the Church in Wales diocese of St Asaph. The diocese covers the counties of Conwy and Flintshire, Wrexham county borough, the eastern part of Merioneth in Gwynedd and part of northern Powys. The Episcopal seat is loc ...

, who died in the year 1788." A square-headed perpendicular window was added to the church around 1520 and a barrel organ in 1838, replaced by a J. Walker pipe organ in 1867. Population expansion led to the construction of a replacement church to designs by

Alfred Waterhouse Alfred Waterhouse (19 July 1830 – 22 August 1905) was an English architect, particularly associated with the Victorian Gothic Revival architecture, although he designed using other architectural styles as well. He is perhaps best known f ...

, completed in 1878 – this used the Norman building's columns, the 1520 window (moved to the vestry's east wall) and the 1402 church's east window (now in the 1924 Lady Chapel), clerestory windows and priest's entrance to the vestry's north side. A new stained glass design was placed in the west window in 1965 and new parish rooms were built below a new gallery at the church's west end in 1995.Tom CC Parishes
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References

{{Commons category, St. Mary, Twyford Twyford